Greensboro College Names Luz Cadavid Muñoz Top 2015 Graduate Student

"GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Greensboro College has given the 2015 Distinguished Graduate Student Award to Luz Fenir Cadavid Muñoz of High Point, N.C.

Cadavid Muñoz completed the work for her M.A. in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages in December and received her diploma and the award during today's Commencement ceremony.

Cadavid Muñoz, a native of Colombia, was cited for both her approach to her studies and the rigor and quality of her master's thesis. Her nominator wrote:

"She approached her studies with both enthusiasm and diligence, fully aware that the level of English proficiency required by the TESOL program would be challenging for her, to say the least. She utilized multiple resources to ensure that her completed assignments met or exceeded the expectations of Greensboro College, including forming peer study groups and utilizing the writing tutor program. Building in the extra time to be sure her work was consistently excellent required a great deal of discipline and self-regulation, especially for a full-time, active teacher."

For her thesis, she designed a research-based, multi-level intervention for classroom teachers to use with school-aged English learners to improve their writing -- a practical and accessible tool for classroom teachers to use with English learners both here and abroad.

Cadavid Muñoz, who came to the U.S. for five years through the Visiting International Faculty program, teaches fourth graders in a Spanish immersion program at Hopewell Elementary School in Randolph County. After concluding her teaching obligations to Randolph County, she will accept a full-time teaching position at the Xiamen International School in Xiamen, China.

The winner of the Distinguished Graduate Student Award, which was created in 2014 upon the recommendation of the faculty, is selected by the faculty from among those nominated. Criteria include demonstration of advanced scholarship, commitment to graduate studies, and promise of contribution to his/her intended profession.

Greensboro College provides a liberal-arts education grounded in the traditions of the United Methodist Church and fosters the intellectual, social, and, spiritual development of all students while supporting their individual needs.

Founded in 1838 and located near downtown Greensboro, the college enrolls about 1,150 students from 26 states, the District of Columbia and 10 nations in its undergraduate liberal-arts program and four master's degree programs. In addition to rigorous academics and a well-supported Honors program, the school features a 17-sport NCAA Division III athletic program and dozens of service and recreational opportunities."